Minister of athletics and Tourism Sławomir Nitras hit PKOl president Radosław Piesiewicz, accusing him of lying. “Piesiewicz has missed the fact many times, he has been guided by private interest alternatively than public interest,” said Minister of athletics and Tourism Sławomir Nitras. He added that he would most likely go to court on the “denunciations” of the president of the Polish Olympic Committee on his subject. "I am a lawyer with many years of experience, and I would not let the law to be broken in PKOl. This is clearly inspired by the actions of Mr Sławomir Nitras" – said president Radosław Piesiewicz. Representatives of PKOl present refused to attend the session of the Committee on Physical Culture, athletics and Tourism. The president of the PKOl Audit Committee did not receive approval from the superiors to inform Members of the results of interior control.
Minister Nitras heated his conflict in the Sejm with PKOl president Radosław Piesiewicz, accusing him of lying about his salary.
Piesiewicz has missed the fact many times in public, even with respect to his wage and simply in public, just like me, standing in front of the state, standing in front of the cameras and saying that he earns 30 1000 zlotys and earning 1 100 thousand. They're just lies.
said Nitras in the Parliament today.
He besides tried to defend himself that he had no influence on the decision of the KAS and blamed work on Piesiewicz.
The fact that I had an influence on the decision of the National taxation Administration is not true, as was Mr. Piesiewicz's allegation that I had any influence on the activities of sponsors who withdrew from the activity
“ Nitras said.
Nitras threatens PKOl president
He added that "there is no connection to this, and he will most likely go to court with this case due to the fact that it is slander, but he would not want to distract from it due to the fact that he thinks that this is Piesiewicz's goal."
The head of the sports department one more time pointed out the deficiency of transparency of the PKOl, to which there was quite a few money, besides budget, but “somewhere they parted”. He besides pointed out that most likely for the first time after half a year from the Olympics to medalists – in this case from Paris – no financial awards were received, to which PKOl had committed himself.
The Minister of athletics in September 2024 informed about the beginning of the National taxation Administration control in the Polish Olympic Committee. Yesterday on TVN24, he reported that the National Prosecutor's Office had received a announcement of possible crime. The station besides informed that the announcement to the prosecution was made by the KAS, and the case concerns the usage of false VAT invoices for the amount of more than PLN 10 million. According to reports from reporters, Piesiewicza is suspected of laundering money for the amount of PLN 3 million. Piesiewicz was to do so through PKOl, PZKosz and the specially created company "Olympic Sky".
State apparatus attached to the attack on PKOl
A press spokesperson for the National Prosecutor's Office Przemysław Nowak informed PAP yesterday that on January 17, the National Prosecutor's Office received a notification from Warmia-Mazury Warmia-Mazury Customs and taxation Office in Olsztyn of suspicion of a number of crimes, including criminal-tax crimes.
The offences indicated in the announcement concerned, among others, the issuing of invoices confirming the untruth (Article 271a of par. 1 k.k.), the inclusion of untruth in taxation declarations and the creation of crucial property harm to the Polish Olympic Committee and 1 of the nationwide sports unions. The notification was based on the material obtained during customs and taxation checks conducted, among others, in PCO and in the injured sports union
“ Nowak pointed out.
Prok. Nowak explained that the biggest punishment is due to the crime of issuing invoices confirming the untruth – up to 8 years in prison.
In the event that it is established that it is the sum provided for in paragraph 2 of this provision (over PLN 5 million – PAP), we are talking about 20 years in prison.
He stressed.
As he added, the announcement will be sent to the appropriate prosecutor for procedural examination.
PKOL denies and hits Nitras
PKOl, in a communication released yesterday, stated that he "debtly denies" that in the Polish Olympic Committee there were circumstances presented by TVN24.pl, consisting of the usage of empty VAT invoices or the usage of "money laundering". It was besides reported that PKOl did not have any cognition of the activities of KAS in relation to alleged irregularities in the Polish Olympic Committee.
We are sorry to note that this information fits into the multimonth rhetoric initiated by Sławomir Nitras and is simply a widely organized effort to discredit the image of the Polish Olympic Committee and president Radosław Piesiewicz, with a view to political influence on the activities of the Polish Olympic Committee
— added in the communication.
Piesiewicz himself, in his statements for Polsat News, pointed out that there was no violation of the law in PKOl.
I think that's a lie. There was no violation of the law in PCOL. I'm a lawyer with many years of experience, and I wouldn't let the law be broken in PKOl. It is clearly inspired by the actions of Mr Sławomir Nitras. The KAS carries out all the checks. We are amazed to hear from the D.A.'s office due to the fact that we have not received any questions from the KAS and we are inactive under control. We work together and we will besides work with the prosecution – and if the proceedings are initiated – then of course we will cooperate
“He said.
Boycott on the Physical Culture Commission
PKOl representatives refused to attend the gathering of the committee on Physical Culture, athletics and Tourism. The president of the PKOl Audit Committee did not receive approval from the superiors to inform Members of the results of interior control.
The meeting's agenda besides afraid the state of implementation of the resolution of the PKOl concerning awards for Olympic medalists. The next point was the resolution recommending the application of the president of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda as a associate of the ICC.
President of PKOl Radosław Piesiewicz in a letter sent to the president of the Commission Tadeusz Tomaszewski expressed his amazement and firm opposition to ongoing attempts by politicians to interfere with the activities of an independent association called PKOl.
In fresh months, the Commission has been discussing issues that form part of the interior policy of the PKOl, which stay outside the scope of the Sejm's control powers, specified as discussions on proposed amendments to the Statute of the PKOl or discussions on housing measures that any of the medalists of the Olympic Games in Paris will receive.
— proclaims the paper PKOl.
In addition to the prohibition of participation in the deliberations of the qualified representatives of PKOl, it refers to the non-approval of the transmission of material concerning the subject substance of the meeting.
PKOl president and his closest colleagues in the last 2 years have collected salaries in full of over PLN 3 million. At the time, for the first time, the Polish Olympic Committee, despite six months since the Paris Games, did not pay Olympic medalists for winning medals. The amount which PKOl owes to the Olympic people is PLN 4 million, PLN 0.5 million is owed to medalists coaches
said Minister of athletics Sławomir Nitras, present at the meeting.
PKOl Awards
PKOl during the Olympic Gala in mid-November declared that the financial awards would be paid to the medalist by the end of February.
The head of the ministry added that the president's wage at various periods was oscillating. Initially, it amounted to PLN 10,000. Later it increased to 100,000, respective months before the games it was reduced to 70,000, and since 1 August it is paid at the level of PLN 28 thousand. Nitras rhetorically asked whether PKOl president should gain as much as the president of Orlen per month.
Well, I have my doubts.
He stressed that he was willing to cooperate with all PKOl president.
However, transparency must be strictly respected.
Former athletics Minister Kamil Bortniczuk agreed that in the absence of funds for the Olympic awards it was not reasonable to pay the salaries of the PKOl management.
Shame, shame, degrengolada
“Andrew Szewinski commented on the actions of the president of PKOl and the secretary-general of the organisation.
What about the report?
Parliamentarians pointed out that, according to the papers disclosed, financial agreements with the strict management of the PKOl were signed against the applicable law. It was approved by 2 PKOl Vice-Presidents, not by the lawyer General of the General Assembly or by the Review Committee.
Vice-President of the Committee, Małgorzata Niemczyk, stated that the study of the PKOl Review Committee was drawn up on 4 December on the basis of a resolution of the Management Board of 20 August 2024. She stressed that the information provided was very scandalous. German explained that erstwhile signing the remuneration documents, it was not the PKOl Statute that was decided, but the Associations Act. Adam Konopka Vice-President of the Polish Chamber Association and Vice-President of PKOl revealed that this “report is simply a secret to him”. It turns out that the study was officially made available only to a tiny group of people in the PKOl.
We know that funds from State Treasury companies and another entities were affected by PKOl's account. We do not see amounts in the report. It is outrageous that little than 50 percent of the sums obtained were intended to finance Polish sports unions. What did the another sums go for? We know that a full of about PLN 95 million was received. PKOL, if it had acted transparently, would have secured the funds for the awards in the budget against the games. I'm amazed it didn't happen.
“The German has been awarded.
Nitras explained that the State Treasury companies, specified as Orlen and Enea, had implemented the agreements with PKOl as previously agreed.
They got that giant money. The fact that they haven't paid sports unions and Olympic medalists can't be any excuse. Where's the remainder of that? PKOl will have financial problems next year
“ He said.
During the meeting, the advice of the president of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda as a associate of the ICC was discussed marginally. The erstwhile president of the Polish Ski Association Apoloniusz Tajner pointed out that specified an crucial substance should be reported as a separate point on the PKOl board's agenda, and not on various matters. This function deserves the full sports environment to talk out and possibly support this conclusion.
Agnieszka Kobus-Zawiska from the PKOl Competition Commission expressed regret that athletes did not have the chance to participate in this discussion.
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